Happy Holidays!

We have just returned from a wonderful 5 day vacation in the gorgeous Rocky Mountains.  The slopes are pretty empty just before and during Christmas, so we may have found ourselves a new tradition.  The snow was great, and Jeremy had his first ski lesson while his parents got to ski together for the first time in 4 years.  As it turned out, the pool at the condo where we were staying was probably the highlight; it was as warm as bathwater and Jeremy could have stayed in it all day.  "I want to sleep here" is one memorable quote.

We've made a little video montage of the trip:

If you cannot view the embedded file above, click HERE

Halloween and Fiddling

Happy (very) belated Halloween!  Perhaps because Jeremy is Spiderman or Superman nearly every day, he made the radical decision to be a "scary ghost" this year.  Mama loved the opportunity to make a costume (the mace and horns were Mama's idea), and we also reached the parenting benchmarks of our first bake sale (Mama made cupcakes, Fran volunteered at the table selling), and our first PTA meeting.

We did several Halloween activities this year: Fall Festival at Lincoln School, the event at the Children's Museum and at South High School (both with friend Luca), trick or treating in Lowery (with friend Tabby), and trick or treating in our own little neighborhood (with friend Jacob, pictured).

 Click HERE for a little video montage of trick or treating this year.

On a more current note, Jeremy had his first solo 'performance' today: His teacher, Katie Glassman, held a "Jam" at her house for all of her students this afternoon in which each student had an opportunity to play with a two-guitar accompaniment in front of a modest audience of other students and teachers.  Jeremy is the youngest (3), and the next youngest is Iris (5).  Then, most of the students are 8 and up to adults.  To say that Jeremy was eager to perform is an understatement; as soon as he arrived he wanted to be 'on the stage'.


(or click HERE for the video of Jeremy in larger format)

His performance of "Boilin' Cabbage" went smoothly (i.e. he alternated sawing away at the E string and singing, as rehearsed), but the climax of the night was when all of the students got to play together- Jeremy stood in the middle of the group in the small living room, working his E string with all his might.  He said afterward, "I was playing and they were playing all around me... on all sides... I felt like the leader of the violin orchestra!"  After about 5 songs, Katie had to gently invite Jeremy and Iris to retire their instruments so the 'big kids' could play the next pieces.  Jeremy was one of the last to leave the party, having also fallen in love with "Little Katie"- a 12 year old who has been playing for several years and also happens to have two moms... one of which is also named Francine (!).   Her lessons immediately follow Jeremy's, so we have seen her briefly each week for the last month and a half.

Jeremy begins violin, plays his first "concert"

Jeremy has begun music lessons with Katie Glassman.  It so happens that she was doing a performance with all of her students (that's her on the guitar) at the Cherry Creek Farmers Market last Saturday.  She invited Jeremy to pluck with them for the first song.  He lasted almost a full minute; here's the last 30 seconds or so:

Jeremy celebrates his Grandpas

Here are two videos that are tributes to Jeremy's love for his grandfathers. The first is one I put together to celebrate Grandpa Simon's 70th birthday- a video montage set to 'you've got a friend' that was shown at the party. Click HERE, or see below (if it fits on your screen).  The second is a photo montage of Papa's (annual) visit for Day Out with Thomas. Incidentally, last year's video of Day Out with Thomas is still available on this blog; just search 'day out with thomas'.

Busy Fall- Shana Tova

Jeremy has started his new school, Lincoln, in the Montessori program and seems to be doing well, although he's decided that he doesn't want to discuss school with his Mama.  Most days, he goes to school as Superman, or more recently, Spiderman, even though he doesn't actually know much about either beyond what he's picked up from other children.  For example, in Jeremy's world, Superman shoots fire and Spiderman flies.

Jeremy has also graduated to a 'big boy bed', which by his request is a 'jungle' theme.   This means that Mama gets to pull out all kinds of stuff I collected in Kenya over the years I spent there.  Click below to get a little tour:

Meanwhile, I have ended my directorship at DBG after 7 happy and productive years and am focusing my attention on my family, the house, and research projects. Fran has been working away at Copart projects (as well as others), but after the CMO left last week, we are waiting to hear what her future with them will be. Life is good, either way.

So, with lots of transitions going on, we are holding tight and enjoying our blessings. Shana tova and hag sameach to all these days of awe.

Hot Rod Racing

Fran's client, Copart, sponsors racing, which means that we got to hang in the hospitality tent for the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Mopar Mile High Nationals in Denver last weekend. Jeremy not only got his own Copart hat and shirt, but he even received a model top fuel dragster car of his own, signed by owner, Kenny Bernstein, and his son who drives the car, Brandon Bernstein.  Both are very personable guys; Kenny even let Jeremy race his new 'car' in the restricted area of the tent (Jeremy himself ran about 50 races that day).

It was a long, hot day, but we were rewarded with second place- their highest placement this season.  The whole scene was indescribable and the noise outrageous- you could literally feel it in your bones (we all wore ear protection).  Between each race, the engine has to be completely re-built in under an hour; it is clear that this is a team sport.  Apparently Jeremy's ear protection worked, because he slept through the final race.



Above is a link to a little video montage of our experience; if it doesn't work for you, click on the following link:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ncmfl-epEPY

The Kids are Alright

For all those so called "non-traditional" families out there, there is a little contest to promote the movie The Kids are Alright that features Annette Bening & Julianne Moore on a website called GoodKin. 

You get a totebag and t-shirt if you win (yeah, I know, big deal), but really they are just collecting stories.  Doesn't have to be an LGBT family to be non-traditional.  Looking around my extended family at our last gathering, it suddenly struck me how none of us fit the classic mold: inter-racial, polyamorous and inter-generational, gay... but the great thing is that we are all in happy, stable relationships, as "unusual" as they are.  Hurrah for love.

Our trip up to Pikes Peak

Click below for a little montage of our trip up Pikes Peak with friends Rita, Lyn and their son Kasen. 

Photo montage of Cincinnati Trip

Click HERE or HERE for a montage of photos (with music) we took during the visit to Bubbe's house in Cincinnati, including our 'portrait' shots.  the last part is our karaoke jam session with Jeremy on the drums.

Happy Birthday America, Happy Birthday Jeremy

Just a quick entry to report that Jeremy's "water and music" themed birthday party was a smashing success (never mind that I forgot to put out the juice boxes).  The kids splashed in the inflatable pool, enjoyed Grandpa's obstacle course (especially the part where they got to spray him with squirt guns), played air guitar with inflatables, and ate lots of cake.  It was a special treat to have both of Fran's parents there for that week.

We also had a wonderful visit to Cincinnati for a friends wedding reception and an early 70th birthday party for Bubbie.  It was great for Jeremy to spend time with his uncles, especially, and we all had a blast singing karaoke while Jeremy played the drums.

Finally, Jeremy enjoyed riding his tricycle in the Washington Park 4th of July parade for the first time this year.  

Happy Summer

Just a sampling of our enjoyment of the season.  We're hiking, biking (you should see Jeremy balancing on his 2-wheeled Scuut!), swimming, playing ball... it's getting more difficult to go to school in the mornings!  Fran is super busy with work (a good thing, but, well...) and I am in the final phases of writing a grant to the NRCS.  We leave for Cincinnati in a week for a friend's wedding and an early birthday celebration for Bubbe (70th). 

A quick note about LGBT family visibility: I was at a memorial the other day when one of the bereaved (whom I've only met a couple times) said how much our family meant to her: "your having a baby... it means so much for all of us... ".  I can't say for sure, but I have a general idea what she meant, and it encourages me to keep writing these blogs. 

Final note:  Jeremy is in the middle of potty-training, on the schedule of his own choosing.  When his teacher asked him if he'd like to use the potty (at school), he replied, "No thank you.  That's not my favorite.  I do the potty at home".  Slowly but surely...

Happy bloging for LGBT families day!

Yup, I know you can't believe it's here again so soon- the day dedicated to us family bloggers- specifically to honor those of us with "non traditional" families.  If you are new to our site, please stop and look around a bit; we have some fun home movies and lots of stories and photos.

For more information, see Mombian.  

John Denver Fan

Happy Spring!  We had a spectacular crab apple bloom this year but no energy or time to do our 'annual' party to celebrate it.  The best news of the spring is that it's official:  Jeremy is sleeping through the night.  Other good news is that we are cleared by the allergist to start eating fish, shellfish, and tree nuts (which means me too)!  We'll have fish and chips for shabbat dinner to celebrate. 

A taste of what we've been up to: We flew to CA recently for a wedding,  Papa came to visit last weekend,  I was interviewed on the radio,  Fran has something like 7 projects all at once, and my Conservation Biology class (40 students) is wrapping up in the next week.  All wonderful things, and all keep us busy and out of trouble.

Music-wise, Jeremy has been enjoying the DU Lamont School of Music free Jazz concerts, including the highly esoteric improv performance last week.  He sat through a hour (almost more than either Mama or Papa could handle) and complained during the intermission ("where are the instruments?").  He's also insisting on going to sleep listening to a live recording of John Denver that starts with "Rocky Mountain High".  See link below for a taste of his own rendition.  The 45 second video ends when Jeremy attempts to start clapping while still holding his guitar:

Happy Passover

Happy Spring!  The snow is melting and it is 70 degrees in our sunny city. Our family was recently featured on the cover of One Colorado's report of a survey of LGBT families to assess demographics and needs across the state.  The above photo is the one they selected.

As for Passover, Jeremy has been practicing the four questions, as he is likely to be the youngest person at the seder for some years yet... Here is a video of Jeremy reading his favorite haggadah (Sammy Spiders First Haggadah) and chanting at least the beginning of the Ma Nish Ta Na:
http://www.archive.org/details/ASimonJeremysingsfourquestions/

Sleep update, for those who are interested: Jeremy has had a sleep study, he's had his surgery to correct apnea, now he's also been rolfed, and we've been advised by a sleep specialist.  So, we are now doing something called "faded co-sleeping technique" which involves sleeping on the floor next to his bed but not talk to or touch him if he wakes during the night... for two weeks.  Anyhow, we are optimistic- last night was a great one- even stayed in his bed in the morning until I told him it was time to wake up.  Stay tuned- the Simon family might just get well rested yet!

Final update is on Jeremy and instruments.  The harp phase seems to be passing somewhat, the electric guitar phase is definitely over, and the new fav is clearly the BASS.  In particular, the upright, double bass "in the back of the orchestra" as Jeremy likes to remind us.  He likes to mime bowing, but also likes to pluck Mama's guitar as a bass (see above photo).  His favorite genres for bass are jazz and "anime" (ever since seeing his first Japanese animation video set to music, he's insistent that it is its own musical genre).  He has yet to really embrace the woodwinds, so I suspect flute or oboe may be next...

Surf and Ski

What could be better?  Swimming in the Atlantic and skiing the Rocky Mountains within a couple of weeks of each other. This boy has it all!  Jeremy was dragging us with our fleeces on into the ocean and later was begging for "more ski!" when we went to Breckenridge with Uncle Eric.

See the following link for a video montage (5 min) of our vacation to see Fran's parents in Boca Raton: http://www.archive.org/details/ASimonFlorida2010/
 

Still not sleeping, but count our blessings

The surgery was a 'success' in that the offending tissue was removed with no complications, and we believe that Jeremy has healed up well. However, we are now over two weeks post-op and have only had one really good night (he actually slept 11 hours straight!). Sleep aside, Jeremy no longer sounds congested, his spirits are generally high, and his appetite has really picked up (as they said it might). The other morning he actually downed 4 bowls of Cheerios with milk, 2 carrots, and 2 tablespoons of hummus (the breakfast of champions)! The hospital experience was also very sobering in that we were reminded how very fortunate we are, relative to what some families are dealing with. Thanks to all family and friends who have been such a support during this period!

Jeremy's Surgery is Scheduled

As most of you probably already know, Jeremy's sleep study resulted in a recommendation to have surgery to remove his adenoids and tonsils.  It is both a relief and frightening; the prospect of good sleep for once (for all of us) is wonderful, but we already know how scary it is to see him 'go under'.  It is a very common procedure and the risks are low, but he will be kept overnight for observation, given his tender age and the risk of bleeding and dehydration.  We have been flooded with encouragement and warm wishes- please know how much these mean for us.  Right now, we are working on travel plans for Bubbe to come help take care of all of us for at least part of the recovery time.

The photos above show what a trooper Jeremy was for his sleep study.  It wasn't a great experience except for the fact that Jeremy received a Thomas train and a puzzle for being such a good boy.  Children's Hospital is wonderful and made it as easy as they could.  The cannula under his nose was the worst part.  He hadn't complained one bit until after everything was on and the 'technologist' Kelly left the room.  He looked up at me with sad eyes and said, "I want the doctor".  So I went and got her (she was extremely surprised, said no child had ever asked for her before) and she asked Jeremy what he needed.  "Can I have my present now?'  Was his earnest request.  When we told him it was for the morning when the study was over, he couldn't keep it together any longer and burst into tears (about an hour later, we decided to give him the train early).  Needless to say, it was hard on both of us, but we got through it, and now we know that the wakings are due to difficulty breathing because of the enlarged adenoids and tonsils. 

The surgery will be January 21st.